(NewsNation) — Three civil rights group are challenging a Harvard admissions process that gives preferential treatment to legacy applicants — prospective students who have family ties to the Ivy League university.
The complaint from the Chica Project, the African Community Economic Development of New England, and the Greater Boston Latino Network alleges widespread violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The groups are represented by Lawyers for Civil Rights, which filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights office. It calls on the DOE to launch an investigation into Harvard’s practices and abandon them if it wants to continue receiving federal funding.
“Harvard’s practice of giving a leg-up to the children of wealthy donors and alumni — who have done nothing to deserve it — must end. This preferential treatment overwhelmingly goes to white applicants and harms efforts to diversify,” said Michael Kippins, litigation fellow at LCR. “Particularly in light of last week’s decision from the Supreme Court, it is imperative that the federal government act now to eliminate this unfair barrier that systematically disadvantages students of color.”
The complaint comes on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision Thursday that struck down affirmative action policies allowing the use of race as a factor in the college admissions process. Proponents hailed the decision as a win in particular for Asian American students, while opponents argued the decision will upend decades of progress on diversity efforts.
Lawyers for Civil Rights noted in the complaint that nearly 70% of Harvard’s donor-related and legacy applicants are white, and they receive a substantial boost based on their status.
It said for the Class of 2019, about 28% of the class were legacies, who are nearly six times more likely to be admitted than applicants with no parents or other relatives who attended Harvard.
“Qualified and highly deserving applicants of color are harmed as a result, as admissions slots are given instead to the overwhelmingly white applicants who benefit from Harvard’s legacy and donor preferences,” LCR said in a news release.
Legacy policies, which are common at U.S. colleges and universities, have become increasingly controversial.
President Joe Biden, in remarks following last week’s Supreme Court ruling, said schools should consider eliminating legacy policies because they “expand privilege instead of opportunity.”
During oral arguments in October on the affirmative action case, which was filed against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, a lawyer for Harvard told the justices there was no evidence that ending legacy preferences would lead to a more diverse student body.
Reuters contributed to this story.